At least one person is dead after severe weather battered the Midwest, with millions more under warnings for more severe weather on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, a Kent County, Michigan, man was killed after a tree fell on him during a passing thunderstorm in the area, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Responders found a 39-year-old man from Solon Township at the scene and said he had been hit by the fallen tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the man was outside with friends when strong winds from a passing thunderstorm hit, causing several nearby trees to fall. The man reportedly told others to move out of the way just before the tree fell, which the people said likely prevented more of them from being hit.
The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the incident.
Monday saw severe thunderstorms and intense hail across the Midwest, with lightning strikes visible from space and potential tornadoes spotted on the ground.
Nearly 300 storm reports were lodged Monday, the majority being strong wind reports, followed by numerous hail reports and three tornado reports.
At least one tornado east of St. Louis, Missouri, was reported overnight, leaving one neighborhood in shambles, with homes reduced to piles of rubble and downed trees littering the ground.
Power lines were snapped and pulled down in Missouri, wind gusts in Wisconsin exceeded 70 mph, and heavy rain and intense lightning knocked down trees in Tennessee.
